Carolyn: Not yet but JP seems to think things are okay and that's good...at least for him.
Roswelllostcause: LOL, we had a couple and so did I until I finally convinced my husband that the things were just too heavy and the newer pots and pans available out there were wonderful. I had no idea until I bought some that what I had said was true but they were wonderful. I did have a cast iron Dutch oven that I loved but I only used that for pot roasts and the like. It's now long gone too...crock pots are also a nice addition to the cupboard.
Eve: Teaching babies to sign baby language has been around for quite a while. I know it surprised me when I first heard about it but it only makes sense. They can't talk but they really are capable of learning repetition so I guess that's how it started. As for the surprise about the other man, he sort of shows his face some in this chapter.
Chapter: 9
“LIZ!!! Where are you?” A frantic Max Evans yelled as he entered the house.
JP came running into the entry way and ran right into his daddy’s waiting arms. Max was ready for a coronary. Then JP told his dad that mom ‘killed’ some man with the skillet. Max clutched his son closer to him and he almost passed out. He went weak in the knees and backed up and stood against the front door for support. Oh.Dear.God! Was all he could think…
About that time Liz came into the hallway and saw the terrified look on Max’s face and she almost passed out.
“Max? What’s wrong?” She was near frantic now…
“Did you kill him? Did you kill Don Adams?”
“My God no, I bashed his head in but he’ll probably live…maybe?” Her voice trailed up as she said anxiously. Then she took a really good look at her husband and at a grinning son…
By this time she didn’t care one way or the other about Don Adams, she knew she should and she knew she would but right now the only thing that mattered was her son was safe and her husband needed to calm down or he’d have a coronary on the spot.
“Max, I don’t know what you’ve been told and I will tell you what happened but not right now. I have had one hellacious morning and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. And JP, mommy did not kill that man. I knocked him out. He will be fine… he is not dead.” Liz was pretty close to hysteria herself and JP wasn’t helping the situation.
“Well, he looked dead. And you kicked the kitchen rug over him to hide the blood that was squirting all over.”
Liz narrowed her brow and looked at her son…
“JP did you run like I told you to do?”
“Well, yeah, sort of.”
“What do you mean, sort of? How did you know I kicked the rug over him?”
“Well, I watched what you did first and then I went to the attic.”
“Oh God…” She practically wailed, she didn’t want JP to see that. “Well you know what I did wasn’t a very nice thing to do don’t you?” She really was sorry he saw that.
“Well, what that man said he was going to do wasn’t very nice either.” JP countered indignantly…well as indignant as a four year old could anyway.
“What do you mean what he said? What did he say to you?”
“He said he would hurt you if I didn’t stand still, and then you told me to stand still so I did what you said. I was glad you told me to kick him, he deserved it.” And JP hugged his Daddy harder.
“JP, you know it’s not nice to hurt people don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know, but I wanted to hurt him before he hurt you. I’m sorry mommy; I promise I won’t kick anyone unless you tell me to.” He promised as he nuzzled Max’s shoulder.
“Thank you JP, that’s a very good rule. Try to remember it.” And Liz just stood there looking at her husband holding her son and she rubbed her forehead in frustration…will this nightmare ever end?
Max just stood there and watched his wife and son go over this morning’s events and decided that he wasn’t ready to hear the rest of the story any more than Liz was ready to tell it.
“Oh, and dad! I’m going to have milk and cookies with that cop and his son and you’re invited too!” JP seemed really excited about that happening.
Max smiled down at his youngest child and his chest tightened up just a bit. To think that he could have lost both of them this morning was more than he cared to think about. He reached over and pulled his wife into the folds of his other arm, bent down and kissed the top of her head and held the two of them to him until he thought he would lose his mind or until he was sure he wouldn’t. He was so close to tears that he wanted to scream. Liz knew exactly how he felt because she was having the same feelings herself and she stayed there with the two of them until Max released her.
JP just laid his head on his daddy’s shoulder and hugged him back. It was good to have his daddy back, he felt safe now. Mommy was brave but daddy was strong. They really needed to get mommy another big skillet, he felt better with a big skillet.
“Daddy, can we go shopping?”
Max and Liz both looked at their young son questioningly…
“Sure JP, what do you need?” JP breathed a big sigh and said…
“Mom needs a new skillet to set on the stove. We need to keep the skillet on the stove forever.” Max looked at Liz and they both knew what JP needed…he needed to feel safe and the skillet was the answer.
“Get your jackets Liz, we’re going shopping.” And so the three of them headed to the mall to buy a skillet before picking up the other four children at school.
*
Don Adams was now in the prison ward of the hospital with a guard stationed outside his door and he was still comatose. He was in a deep dream.
He was in the exercise yard talking to one of his cell mates as they usually did everyday during their one hour break and Joey was listening to the man go on about the frump who put him in here. Neither one of the men took into consideration that they had put themselves in this position in the first place…it was all someone else’s fault of course.
“You know Joey, if I ever get out of here I’m going to see to it that she pays.”
“Yeah man, I hear ya…You say she’s some kind of doctor?”
“Yeah, she’s married to that baseball player, Max Evans. They live in Philadelphia. Her and that blond bitch both need taken down.”
“Who’s the blond again?”
“She’s the one that talked me into marrying the frump…wanted Max Evans and for some reason she thought Liz was stopping her from getting him. She was as Looney as they come. And then they found out about the wife and kids in California and that didn’t help any…that bitch just up and left with the kids and I never saw her again but she did send a signed deposition that we were married. Hell I thought she divorced me years ago. Said she couldn’t afford to get a divorce; accused me of all kind of shit. I never laid a hand on those kids, never…and the only time she got it was when she deserved it. She never could understand an order when it was given!”
“Boy, it sounds like the whole bunch of them is nuts.”
“Yeah, they were. You know, if we get out of here on the new program the governor has going maybe we could get together and find a way to get some money out of the Evans dude. I’ll bet he’d pay plenty for one of his kids or his wife even, what do you think?”
“Maybe you’re right dude…we can work on that and see what happens.”
And Don Adams continued to sleep and dream….
*
On their way to the mall Liz decided to lighten the load on Max’s shoulders and proceeded to tell him about the new kids at school and Max looked at Liz like she’d lost her mind.
“Liz, they’re only six and eight years old for God’s sake…he actually wore his dress slacks to school?”
Max’s eyes were as big as Liz had ever seen them get. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Yes, his dress pants. Apparently Marlene has a twin sister, thank God they aren’t going to be fighting over the same girl in first grade. Anyway, this Marlene told Gerard that he looked good in a shirt that he had on, I don’t know which shirt, and it is now Gerard’s favorite shirt.” Liz waved her hand in the air while she talked. “And, get this, both girls had to have their hair done this morning before they got dressed. This is serious Max, our children are getting ready to leave the nest.”
And Liz giggled at Max who didn’t think this was a damned bit funny. Big fancy psychologist couldn’t accept his babies having crushes…hell that’s about the age she discovered that Max Evans was more than just her best friend and look where they are.
When they arrived at the mall Max, Liz and JP all headed to the “Kitchens and More Store” to check out the skillets when JP spotted this huge red cast iron piece that would take three men and a troop of boy scouts to lift and he told his mom,
“This is a good one”.
Liz looked at the sweet face looking up at her and smiled.
“JP, I don’t think it would work very well because I can’t even lift that thing. It’s too heavy.”
And then she saw the look of terror in her son’s eyes and told Max…
“We can leave it on the stove until he’s over this.”
So they purchased the humongous skillet and also one that would be more to their needs as well. JP had a look of relief on his face and Max and Liz both realized that this morning’s activities had really taken a toll on their son’s well being. He would most likely be sharing their bed for some time to come. Maybe. They would see. Then Liz had a brain storm…
“JP, do you think you would like a skillet for your room for a while. We could put it in the kitchen some day if we need another one.”
JP thought about it for a minute and then said,
“No, I think one is plenty don’t you mom? I just need a pair of big boots.”
Max and Liz both looked at each other and decided a visit to the shoe store was in order so they paid for the skillets and headed out with Max carrying the huge red skillet in his left hand and Liz with the smaller one in her right hand while JP walked between the two of them holding their other hands. They allowed their son to choose a pair of good kicking boots and then they were on their way to pick up the other four at school.
When they arrived at the school they sat and observed the four of them waiting in the pick up area with four other children of the same age. Two boys who were almost identical and two girls almost identical…and Liz and Max just sat and looked at each other.
“Do you think that this is the way it’s always going to work Max? Twins for twins?”
“I don’t know, but it is creepy isn’t it? Look at them, they all seem drawn to one another. Do you think we should send them to separate schools?”
“No, not yet, but it’s a thought. Talk about the odds of multiple births…sheeze… they’ll be having litters.” And Liz giggled.
“Okay miss scientist…enough of that already.”
The cars were moving at a steady pace to get up to the loading area and Liz decided to take this opportunity to tell Max about her conversation with Tess. Max still didn’t want to have anything to do with Tess nor Kyle either, by association, but she didn’t want to keep anything away from her husband so she sort of slid it into the conversation…
“Tess called to warn me about Don this morning but I didn’t get a chance to hear her message until the excitement was over so I called her back and she said that Kyle had a plain clothes man guarding their two so I told her that it was all over. That I took a frying pan to his skull and then we chit chatted for awhile. I know you don’t want to hear about them but I didn’t want to be hiding anything from you.”
“How can you be friends with her Liz, after what she did? It’s just not normal.”
“Max, she was sick. She still is but the medication is working. She was obsessed and now she knows this. She’s happily married to Kyle, they have two lovely little boys and they are all happy. She doesn’t want to hurt me anymore, she knows that she was wrong and I’m happy for her…forgive and forget Max.”
“Can you forgive and forget Don?”
“Tess didn’t try to hurt one of my children Max. No, I can’t forgive Don…I had forgotten him until I saw him in my kitchen this morning. I quit thinking about him a long, long time ago Max and if they decide to prosecute me because I defended my child then I will go to court and tell my story…otherwise it’s forgotten. Not forgiven, but forgotten, but it’s different with Tess. She was sick Max.”
“Okay sweetheart, you forgive her and you can talk to her but I still feel the same. I prefer to keep her out of conversations and physically in Connecticut where she belongs. Okay?”
“Okay, but don’t expect me to hide things from you, even if they do bring back unpleasant memories.”
“Fair enough, you told me now let’s forget it.” Liz knew Max meant what he said and she dropped the subject of Tess.
About that time they pulled up to the loading area and four little kids hopped into the back of the SUV and promptly buckled up.
“Well Parker, you certainly look nice today…was there something special going on at school?” Max asked his little son as he settled in his seat.
“No. How was your trip?” Trying to change the subject was a good thing, how did a six year old know that… Liz wondered?
“Oh, the trip was fine. How about the rest of you? Did all of you have a good day?” Max didn’t want to seem too pushy but he would certainly like to hear what they had to say for themselves.
“Yeah Dad, it was great” piped up Gerard. Deana and Briana just smiled at their father and said welcome home.
Then JP opened his big mouth and said.
“Mom killed a man with the frying pan this morning and the cops came and everything.”
Four young faces all looked at their mother in disbelief.
“JP!!! I DID NOT KILL A MAN…I hit an intruder over the head with a frying pan and the cops came and took him away.”
Now four sets of little eyes were great big sets of wide eyes and Liz just rolled her eyes at Max.
“Nuh-uh…the cops came and the ambulance guys took the man away after they took the rug off his head and looked at all the blood.”
“JP, Please!” Liz begged…
“And then I had to tell the cops about what the man did before mom hit him. Mom signed for me to stand still and I did then mom signed for me to kick him and I did and then I ran and mom hit him with the bacon skillet that was on the stove. The cops took the skillet as evvvv…evv..ev-dense!!! And then we went to the mall and bought mom a great big skillet to keep on the stove. Mom got two. You should’ve seen all the blood…mom really whacked him good!”
“JEFFREY PHILIP EVANS!!! If you don’t quit telling stories you’re not going to get to have cookies.”
“Oh yeah, me and dad are going to have milk and cookies with the cop and his boy…right dad?”
By now Liz was breathing in and out, almost hyperventilating, and Max didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The other four didn’t know who to believe and JP, well JP was on a roll.
“And then we went to the shoe store and I got big boots so’s I can kick bad people in the shins better…right dad?”
Liz looked at Max totally flabbergasted and Max just looked over at her and grinned…
“That’s right JP, great big boots.” And Max reached over and patted Liz’s hands that she had clasped together in a grip so tight it would have taken a bomb to break them apart: her knuckles had turned stark white.
Briana was the first to ask…
“Mom, is he lying?”
“Not totally.” Liz answered breathlessly. “I did hit an intruder with the frying pan and the police did come to the house and the ambulance did come and take the man away but he was hanging onto JP and I was afraid he was going to hurt him and he told JP if he didn’t stand still that he was going to hurt me so basically what JP said was the truth but I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want any of you to be afraid and I want JP to quit talking about it too. It was not cool, it was not fun and it is over with. Okay?” Liz was practically begging now…her voice barely audible, what she really wanted to do was scream.
Then JP piped up and said…
“Mom knew who this guy was too.” JP had the stage and he wasn’t going to give in that easily.
And suddenly Liz and Max both became very quiet. This wasn’t something they ever wanted to discuss with their children and if they did they wanted it to be a long time in the future but thanks to Don Adams they had to deal with it now.
How old were the kids?
